Wednesday, December 19, 2007

"This is Long"

My son Blake has a saying when he's finding things a little boring and tedious. It came out last week at our local "Carols By Candlelight" and then again at the Family church service when all the kids stayed in from Sunday School to sit with their parents. After some time sitting, he'd begin to squirm, then look up at me and say, "This is long."

Now, of course his older brother & sister would phrase it differently. They'd say, "This is boring!" or "I'm bored." I find Blake's little remark about something being "long" is far easier to put up with. "Boring" (or "Bore" or "Bored" or any other derivatives) is one of those words that instantly convey frustration to the heart of a parent. I think it should be banned as an expression in any household that wants to stay reasonably sane or calm. Our choice of words certainly can make a huge difference in someone else's reaction. This just reinforces my opinion that words are containers of their own certain type of power and can make or break a mood. So we could make life easier by being very careful about the ones we choose.

Would you rather get feedback that something you said or wrote was "a bit on the long, rambly side" or it was "boring?" The first comment would give the impression that you could actually do something to change or improve it, while that B word would seem to indicate that nothing can be done and it's a personal comment.

Now I hope nobody will tell me that this thought is either "boring" or "long and rambly."

8 comments:

  1. There is a definite difference between long and boring, although I'm not sure children can always seperate the two.

    I wish you and your family the happiest of Christmases. We will be thinking of you and your summer weather while we get rained on!

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  2. I agree. Being bored is a choice but being long is a fact. :o)

    I loved your post about your tree. Thanks for sharing the story and have a wonderful Christmas!

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  3. I have a ban on the word in our house - I give my son a job to do if he uses it (usually cleaning up!). My mum used to do the same to me :)

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  4. As young parents, we were very careful not to use the B word in front of my oldest son - we didn't want him to know what it meant. Now, however, I actually tell the kids to "stand and be bored" when we are waiting in line, etc. I've decided that they need to learn how to handle being bored. Live and learn.

    I've personally never read anything of yours that I would consider long or boring - seriously! And I agree with your opinion of words having power. Tread carefully with those you love!

    Have a great Christmas!
    Kate

    P.S. Please pray for us as my husband's surgery is Dec. 27th at 7:00 a.m. Thanks!

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  6. Paula - Thanks for your prayers. It is 10:45 pm right now and according to a time website, it is 5:15 pm where you are. I believe that means you are 18-1/2 hours ahead of us. So, let's see, on Dec. 27th at 7:00 am our time, it would be 1:30 am on Dec. 28th for you. I think that's right. So, perhaps you could pray the night before as I don't expect you to get up in the middle of the night to pray!

    Today we talked about what I should do if he didn't make it through surgery - oh, man, I've never wanted to discuss that but I also know my mom was left alone suddenly and didn't know what to do. I want to make good decisions for me and our kids. But I feel positive about this surgery. I believe that the Lord will watch over the whole thing and Todd will do well. Thank you so much for your friendship! I appreciate you!

    Blessings,
    Kate

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  7. I don't think any one would say that you were boring....But I like the distinction that you made.

    I especially like the word picture you painted about words being containers. There are two books out that I absolutely love about words and the power of them...our words hold power and we often don't realize it.

    Great post!!!

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  8. I'm stopping by to wish you the happiest Christmas! Thank you for your friendship!

    Peace and Laughter,
    Cristina

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